Freedom Bank Chair and CEO Ortega Joins FDIC’s Minority Depository Institutions Subcommittee

On April 24, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced four new members of its minority depository institutions (MDI) subcommittee to the advisory committee on community banking. Arturo “Art” Ortega, chairman and CEO of Alamo-based Freedom Bank, is one of the four named to the subcommittee, along with John Tom Anderson, president and CEO of … Read more

Energy Technology Company Baker Hughes Invests $50 Million in Unity Bank

On February 27, Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, announced a $50 million investment to support Houston-based Unity Bank, Texas’ only Black-owned banking institution, citing the move as part of its commitment to supplier diversification and advancement of racial equity. The investment, made through a $50 million deposit in J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Empower share … Read more

Real Estate Investment Professional Meyer-Nelson Appointed Chair of Agility Bank

Edna Meyer-Nelson has been elected the chair of Houston-based Agility Bank NA, the first bank in the country established as a minority depository institution focused on women, but serving all. A former banker, Meyer-Nelson is president and CEO of The Richland Companies, one of the largest women-owned real estate investment firms in the country with … Read more

Agility Bank Opens as First Minority Depository Institution in the U.S. Primarily Owned and Led by Women

On May 18, Houston-based Agility Bank NA announced that it has received all regulatory approvals to open as the first bank in the U.S. primarily owned and led by women under a special charter by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. Through this Minority Depository Institution (MDI) charter, Agility Bank’s focus will be … Read more

Cadence Bank Announces Strategic Business Alliance With Unity National Bank of Houston

On June 8, Atlanta-based Cadence Bank, a subsidiary of Houston-based Cadence Bancorporation, announced a strategic business alliance with Unity National Bank of Houston, the only Black-owned banking institution in Texas and one of two Black minority depository institutions with a national charter. The cooperative alliance brings growth capital to Unity National Bank, strengthening its ability to make … Read more